Creative Coffee Table Ideas

The Focal Point of the Living Room

For a lot of living rooms the coffee table space is the focal point. When you walk into the room, this is where the eyes are drawn to. This is because the coffee table is usually is in the center and everything is arranged around it (the seating, the TV, rugs). This makes the coffee table an important piece in the living room. The style and design of it can really set the tone for the room. Here I go over more creative coffee table ideas and DIY projects. For style specific table ideas, check out my living room mood board collection page here.

Repurposed Rustic Chic

There are a lot of materials that can be reclaimed and turned into a budget friendly and good looking coffee table. Spools, with their round tops and bases make for excellent coffee table DIY projects. I’ve seen some that are left as is, which creates a really rustic style. Picture (1) shows a spool that has been painted all white for a more shabby chic look. While the spool in picture (2) has had an acrylic top fitted to it, and galvanised piping has been used to create the base. The refined glass looking top makes the coffee table look a lot more modern, refined, and luxurious.

Crates and a reclaimed window have been used to create the rustic coffee table in picture (3). Check out my post on reclaimed windows for another coffee table made out of a window – this one can be opened for storage: Home Decor Ideas: Using Reclaimed Old Windows. Or how about using old doors (4)?

There are a 101 things that can be done with pallets, and one of them is to create your own coffee table. The ladies at The Merry Thought used pallets to create a chevron patterned coffee table (5). Another coffee table has been created from pallets, seen in the shabby chic living room (6). Again, an elegant top (this time glass) has been added for a less rustic look.

Far Away Lands

These next two ideas are my favorite since they relate to travel. The first idea is to use an antique trunk as a coffee table. It adds a lot of charm to the living room (7) – ideal for a more bohemian, shabby chic, or vintage style space.

The second travel inspired coffee table idea is a Moroccan style table (8). Here you will find a metal dish, sometimes decorated with elegant detail, which has a wooden frame as a base.

More Unique DIY Coffee Table Ideas

Planks of wood and piping make for great homemade coffee tables that you can customise to the size and shape of your living room (9) – ideal for making small coffee tables for small spaces. Or for a more refined design, yet still semi-industrial, have a look at the DIY project in picture (10). Copper piping and a slate board were used to create this coffee table.

This last table idea is another one of my favourites, because of how simple it is and that it brings nature into the living room. The log coffee table in picture (11) can be bought from West Elm, but it is simple enough to go out, find a log, strip it of its bark, sand it down, and seal it. For more table space, 2 or 3 of these can sit side by side. Or how about getting a long log, cut off the sides to create a flat top and base, and lay it sideways. It will be low down, but will look good.

Some quick notes on other coffee table design ideas to consider:

If you want a more minimalist looking living room, one without any clutter, then use a coffee table with draws underneath. This way you can store and hide away items that always find their way on top of the coffee table (Stress Free: Minimalist Living Room Ideas).
A wicker coffee table adds texture to a room. Which is ideal if you don’t want to have too many decor pieces around.

The great thing about having such a unique and eye catching coffee table like the ones above, is that you don’t really need to have any decor pieces on the table. Because the table itself is a decor piece. But if you do want to add decor pieces, have a look here for some great ideas: Creative Coffee Table Decor Ideas. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11